Cleaner and hull extracting feeder for cotton



Dec. 14, 1937. F. E. DEEMs 2,102,408

CLEANER AND HULL EXTRACTING FEEDER FOR COTTON Filed July l5, 1955 INVENTOR Franzi E, aem

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 14, 1937 UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANER AND HULL EXTRACTING FEEDER FOR COTTON Delaware Application `uly 15, 1935, Serial No. 31,371

Claims.

My invention relates to a cleaner and hull extracting feeder wherein the seed cotton can be passed either directly to an extractor and thence to an ater-cleaner, or can be shunted about the 5- extractor and delivered directly to the aftercleaner.

One object of my invention is to design an apparatus of this character which is very compact in arrangement and is so designed that it can be interposed readily within the standard clearance provided between the gin stands and their distributors in existing ginning plants.

My invention further contemplates arranging for a lateral delivery of the entering seed cotton into contact with the upwardly moving face of an extractor cylinder which is housed in a vertical extension of the cleaner casing rising alongside the distributor chute, thereby setting the extractor mechanism to one side and partially above the low level of the chute.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a picker roll adapted to pass the entering cotton over a screen door on the intake side ofthe feed hopper so that the dirt and trash screened out of the cotton stream may passl directly to an underlying hull and trash outlet, said door being adapted to be opened when the cotton stream is tof be passed directly to the after-cleaner rolls.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a hull chute leading downwardly from the extractor cylinder across the cleaner casing and over the after-cleaner compartment, the chute having its discharge edge upturned in accordance with the disclosure in the patent to Elliott, No. 1,880,934, so that a reclaimer cylinder can workin the bend of this hull chute to effectively recapture cotton tending to pass off with the hulls and return it to the cotton stream passing to the extractor cylinder.

lVIy invention further contemplates providing a hopper bottom for delivering all hulls and trash to a common conveyor, this hopper bottom being "overhung throughout by the screen bottom of the after-cleaner chamber and the screen door of the feed hopper and therefore adapted to receive hulls and trash across the full width of the cleaner.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts which in their preferred embodiment only are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which shows in conventional manner a vertical cross section of my improved cleaner and hull extracting feeder with its drive mechanism omitted, as same can be of any suitable character to rotate its parts in the direction indicated on the drawmg.

I show conventionally a distributor I having a bottom discharge chute 2 for delivering seed cotton into the feed hopper 3 of the cleaner mecha- 5 nism where the feeder rolls 4 deliver the cotton in a stream between them into position to be engaged by the initial picker roll 5 rotating counterclockwise and thrown against a screen door 6, closing the intake side of the feed hopper, toopen the cotton and partly clean it, and then to pass it through the opening l into engagement with a second picker roll i3 rotating clockwise by which it is carried under the hull board 9 and thrown against the up-going side of a toothed cylinder I0.

Ample clearance is provided between the hull board 23 and the cylinder I@ so that there: will be no tendency for the cotton to choke in the chamber lI formed in a vertical extension I2 of the main cleaner casing i3. This extension lies alongside the distributor chute 2 and in it is mounted the stripper roll le rotating clockwise and the bafiie I5. These elements coact in the usual manner to strip the hulls and loose trash back from the cotton stream on the saw cylinder Ill onto the hull board 9 down which the hulls work their way and fall through the cotton stream ontoV an nclined hull chute I6 leading inwardly and downwardly from close proximity to the cylinder I This hull chute i6 comprises at its lower end a hinged trough-like member I1 which passes with a reasonably close clearance under a small saw cylinder i8 driven clockwise so that its under face has the same direction of tra-vel as the hulls. This trough member i 'l is adapted to bring cotton tending to pass off with the hulls into position to be picked up by the saw cylinder I8 and carried upwardly under a baiiie I9 that extends downwardly from the feed hopper into close proximity to the cylinder I8 so that it will act to strip hulls from the cotton engaged by cylinder i8. Beyond this baffle is a doiler 2Q rotating counter-clockwise to remove the cotton from the cylinder I8 and pass it upwardly between the baffles Zi and 22 into position to be engaged by the picker roll 8 and restored to the cotton stream on its way to the cylinder I0.

The trough element II, in accordance with the principles of construction and operation fully described and claimed in the Elliott Patent No. 1,880,934, can be adjusted to raise and lower its discharge edge and to control the working clearance under the saw cylinder I8. This cylinder I8 on its upgoing side acts to discharge the hulls tending to accumulate between it and the disonto a door 23 which is normally in closed position in which it engages the iiange 24 underthe chute member I1 and in such position it acts to Y deflect the hulls, together with any trash falling `thereon through the screen. door 6, into a chute Z5 leading to Vthe trough veyor 21 works.

I providea main doiilng roll 28 rotated counterclockwise and adapted to remove the stripped cotton stream from the cylinder I0 and deliver it into what I term the after-cleaner chamber 29, which extends inwardly acrossV the mechanism and along under the chute elements I6, VI1 which form a top cover therefor. A series of picker rollers 30, 3| and 32 Yare arranged in the chamber 29 and all driven counter-clockwise so that the cotton stream doiedrthereinto is carried downwardly across the after-cleaner chamberrto the normally closed door 23 which causes it to return 26 in which a screw con- Y over the screen bottom 33 of Vthis after-cleaner chamber to the doffer 28 and to be discharged thereby into the outlet 34 whence it passes over a chute 35 to the cotton inlet in the gin breast 36.

An inclined hopper wall 31 extends form the delivery end of thel screen bottom33 and merges into the chute 26. Thus the hopper bottom exf tends the full working width of the cleaner and,

With the parts in the position above described, it underlies the screen elements 6 and 33V which taken together also extend the full transverse Y Width of the apparatus, thus giving the maximum cleaning space for the removal of dirt or trash from the cotton stream. f

When it is desired to cut the extractor mecha.-

'nismout of service, the screen door 6 of the feed hopper is swung about its pivotal bearing 38 into the dotted position shown, and the door 23 at the inner end of the after-cleaner chamber 29 is moved about on its pivot 39 to the dotted posi- Vtion shown when it rests in engagement with the hull chute wall 40. This door 23 will in this position intercept the direct passage of any material Yfrom the feed hopper 3 into the chute'25 and at the same time lthe picker roll 5 will deliver the entire stream of entering cotton, with any accompanying hulls and trash, downwardly into the casing and onto the door 23 downwhich it will slide into engagement with the inner aftercleanerroll 32. This roll and the succeeding after-cleaner Vrolls willpass the cotton stream over the screen bed 33 to the doifer roll Y28 which will discharge it in the manner described.

' The operation of my invention will, from the foregoing y description, be readily understood. When cotton is of a character requiring treatment both by the after-cleaner and the extractor mechanism,V the parts will occupy the full line position shown and the'main cotton stream will be driven under roll 5, over-roll 8V onto cylinder IIJ, and after being stripped by the roll I4 and doffed bed 33 and-be discharged. Y

' 'I'he hulls and trash removed inthe extractor will slide down'thechute elements I6 andITand beV delivered into Vthe hull chute 25 Where they will mingle with trash and hull particlesV falling through the screen 6, and thus all dirt, hulls and trash falling through the screen bed 33 and screen n 6'will collect in the chute 26'and be dischargedy together by the screw conveyor 21. 'I'he cotton reclaimed from the hulls by the saw cylinder I8 will be-doffed by the doffer 20 and returned by roll 8 into the cotton stream approaching the cylinder I0. f

Whenever the cotton is suiciently clean not to require treatment by the extractor, the door 6 is opened in the hopper 3 and door 23 is opened in the after-cleaner chamber, whereupon the cotton stream will pass directly to the aftercleanerY rolls and, after receiving the usual cleaning treatment from them,'will be delivered directly to the gin without coming in contact with anyrof the extractor elements.

f This apparatus is very compact, there is no Y Waste space in itand thek clearance normally existing between the gin and distributor is ample to receive this combination hull extractor and 1. In combination, a ,cleaningV and hull extracting feeder, comprising a casing `having a feed hoppercontaining a picker roll and having a side extractor outlet and a door, a hull 'extractor mechanism comprising a saw with its upgoing side opposite saidV outlet, aV stripper and hull board Varrangedabove said outlet and a dofferV and hull chute arranged below said outlet, means to reclaim and return to lsaid saw cotton tending to pass oif said chute Vwith the hulls, a screen bed spaced below saidV hull chute toV form a cleaner chamber having said doffer at one end, a gate valve at the other end of said chamber, a series of cleanerY rolls working over said screen bed, and a hullV discharge, said valve in one position acting to admit hulls from said chute to said discharge and in another position to admit cotton fallingfrom said hopper when its door is. open into the inner endl of said cleaner chamber for treatment therein. 1'

2. A cleanerv feeder according to claim `1, in which the gate valve underlies said 'door in the feed hopper. Y

3. A cleaner vfeeder according to claim 1; 'in` which the hull discharge underlies said door in tractor mechanism is offset from and rises above the bottom level of the distributorV chute.

5.' In combination, a cleaner feeder comprising a casing Vhaving a feed hopper containing a picker roll and having a sidefextractor'outletand a bottom cleaner outlet with a screen door'for closing/the latter outlet, a hull extractor'mechanismA at the side of said hopper comprising a main saw opposite said extractor outlet with its cotton receiving surface Vtraveling upwardly; va stripper roll and hull board above said side outlet, a do'ffer, a hull guide leading inwardly from said saw, a re- Y claiming saw working over said hull guide to recapture` cotton Vescaping with the hulls down said Y guide, and means to return cotton from AsaidY reclaiming saw'to'said main saw, a'screen bed forming with said hull guide a transverse clean- 75 ing chamber with said doffer at its outer end, a gate valve at its inner end and a series of cleaning rolls interposed, the gate valve in closed position acting to open a hull discharge passage and in its open position to direct cotton from said cotton cleaner outlet of the feed hopper into the inner end of said cleaner chamber for treatment therein.

6. In combination, a cleaner feeder having a feed hopper with a picker roll and a side extractor outlet and a screen door on its intake side controlling a cleaner outlet, a hull extractor assembly comprising a main saw opposite said side outlet of said hopper, a reclaiming saw below the hopper, a guide for conducting hulls from the extractor under said reclaiming saw for treatment thereby, and a doier for the main saw, a series of cleaning rolls placed to receive the doifed cotton and Working over a screen that forms with said hull guide a cleaning chamber, means to return to the main saw cotton caught by said reclaiming saW, a gate valve closing the inner end of said cleaning chamber and adapted when open to receive cotton from said cleaner outlet of said feed hopper and deliver it into the inner end of said cleaning chamber, the hulls being normally discharged from said guide past said closed gate into a bottom hull discharge means.

7. In combination, a casing having a cotton inlet and a cotton discharge, a hull extractor mechanism on the cotton discharge side of the casing, an after-cleaner compartment disposed across the casing in position to deliver cotton into said discharge and comprising a series of cleaner rolls and a bottom screen bed, means to deliver the cotton stream directly from said inlet into the inner end of said after-cleaner compartment for a single traverse thereof to the cotton discharge, and means to deliver the cotton stream from said extractor mechanism into the outer end of said compartment in position to en gage said cleaner rolls and be driven thereby for a double traverse of said compartment in its passage to said discharge, and means to discharge the hulls and trash removed from the cotton stream in its selected traverse of said casing.

8. In a machine as described in claim 7, the hull extractor mechanism comprising an extractor saw and doier positioned in the outer or discharge end of the after-cleaner compartment.

9. In a machine as described in claim '7, the hull extractor mechanism comprising an extractor savv and dofer positioned in the outer or discharge end of the after-cleaner compartment with the doffer Working over said screen bed and forming part of the after-cleaner mechanism.

l0. In combination, a casing having a cotton inlet and a cotton discharge, a hull extractor mechanism comprising a doffer and extractor saw, an after-cleaner compartment disposed across the casing in position to deliver cotton into said discharge and comprising at its inner end a gate and having at its outer end said doffer, and an interposed series of cleaner rolls between said gate and doer with a screen bottom under said rolls and doier, means to divert a cotton stream through said gate into the inner end of said after-cleaner compartment for a single traverse thereof, means to direct the cotton stream to the extractor mechanism, with the dofler adapted to direct the cotton stream in a double pass into the outer end of said aftercleaner compartment, and means to discharge the hulls and trash removed from the cotton stream in its traverse of the casing.

FRANK E. DEEMS. 

